2026 Associate Guidance Navigation Control Engineer - Dulles VA (AHT)

Northrop Grumman; United States; On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Northrop Grumman Space Division seeks motivated GNC engineers to solve complex spacecraft control problems for DoD, NASA, and commercial customers.

Responsibilities include designing attitude control loops, developing flight algorithms, and validating GNC performance with simulations and tests. Strong MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++ skills are preferred; U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain clearance required.

Qualifications

• Be completing or has completed their Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Be completing or has completed their Master's Degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering or related field.
• Be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite).

Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude and position control loops using time and frequency domain techniques.
• Develop flight algorithms for the GNC subsystem and support flight software qualification testing.
• Analyze and test the spacecraft GNC subsystem performance using simulations and analytic tools.
• Document designs, analysis, and test results and present to internal and external customers.

Skills

MATLAB/Simulink

C/C++

Spacecraft GNC

Version control tools

Embedded systems

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Master's Degree in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Embedded systems

Job description

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be availableCLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: NoCLEARANCE TYPE: NoneTRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the Time Description

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work - and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

We are looking for motivated GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control) engineers who want to solve interesting, complex problems, which protect our nation. Our GNC team is designing, building, testing spacecraft subsystems for a mix of DoD, NASA, and commercial customers. We are leaders in innovative solutions to the rapidly growing/evolving fields of space based autonomous rendezvous and docking and rapid design/production of small satellites. Spacecraft GNC analysis engineers will work within the GNC subsystem team and are expected to:

• Design, analyze, and tune spacecraft attitude and position control loops using time and frequency domain techniques
• Design, analyze, and tune sequential filters (e.g. Kalman filters) for attitude determination and relative navigation
• Design, develop, test and verify flight algorithms for the GNC subsystem and support flight software qualification testing
• Analyze and test the spacecraft GNC subsystem performance using simulations and other analytic tools
• Perform analysis to support early design phase concept development including actuator sizing and placement, sensor selection and placement, attitude and position guidance, rendezvous, proximity operations and docking analyses, and predicted performance assessments
• Develop simulation models for sensors (e.g. star tracker, rate gyro, accelerometer, GPS, magnetometer, sun sensors, visible and IR spectrum cameras, LIDAR), actuators (e.g. reaction wheel, torque bar, thruster, CMG), system dynamics (e.g. rigid body, multi-body, orbit mechanics, flexible models, propellant slosh), and the space environment (e.g. atmospheric, solar radiation pressure, third-body gravity, geopotential)

Communication is a key element of your role and all GNC engineers are expected to:

• Apply engineering principles, industry standards, company process, and knowledge of vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, classical/modern control, and estimation theory to perform tasks to advanced program/project goals
• Document designs, analysis, and test results and create presentation materials
• Present designs, analysis, and test results to internal and external customers
• Work well within small- to medium-sized groups

The Northrop Grumman Space Division is a strategic partner specializing in commercial and classified partnerships with the design, delivery, operation and sustainment of satellites and human spacecraft. We support science and space exploration through our various partnerships, including NASA's Artemis program with the goal to return humans to the Moon in 2024 and the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) program that has discovered more than twenty confirmed plants. Recognized as an industry leader, we also develop highly specialized space and satellite components.

Basic Qualifications for Associate GNC Engineer

• Be completing or has completed their Bachelor's Degree from an accredited institution.
• Be majoring in or having majored in an Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite)

Basic Qualifications for GNC Engineer

• Be completing or has completed their Master's Degree from an accredited institution.
• Be majoring in or having majored in an Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related field
• Be able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance (U.S. citizenship is a pre-requisite)

Preferred Qualifications for both levels

• Have an overall cumulative GPA of 3.4 out of 4.0 or higher
• Proficiency in MATLAB/Simulink and C/C++
• Experience in spacecraft GNC subsystem design, analysis, and testing
• Experience implementing GNC algorithms on embedded systems
• Prior work experience in related field
• Proficiency in Microsoft office suite, version control tools s